


Five Times Someone Tried (and failed) to Intimidate the Sheriff

by Tarvera



Series: Emissary Sheriff [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Sheriff Stilinski, Gen, POV Sheriff Stilinski, Sheriff Stilinski Is So Done, attempted intimidation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26762038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarvera/pseuds/Tarvera
Summary: People always looked at the Sheriff in a town like Beacon Hills and assumed it was just like Mayberry. Now, to give them credit, it was a view heavily sold by the Sheriff and his deputies. He made sure to run his whole staff through numerous trainings and courses on how to talk to people. It was just good sense. However, what people always seemed to forget was that Andy Griffith was pretty smart for a small town Sheriff.Short drabbles all in a connected universe of people (and werewolves) underestimating the Sheriff and their attempted ways to intimidate him.
Series: Emissary Sheriff [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981967
Comments: 69
Kudos: 284





	1. Buying Groceries - Chris Argent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Fannish_Imposition](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fannish_Imposition/gifts).



> This is going to be updated basically whenever the plot bunny strikes. I have Peter's chapter done but I need Derek's to go first so hopefully I'll get a plot bunny soon! 
> 
> Special thanks to the Fannish Imposition for the plot bunny for this first Drabble.

“Sheriff, fine evening for shopping.” 

Noah spared a glance over his shoulder and resisted the urge to sigh. The man had been everywhere lately since the incident at the high school and Noah was getting sick of it. Not letting any of this show on his face, he put on his best ‘dealing with rambling old ladies’ face and smiled back. 

“Mr. Argent, what can I do for you this evening?” 

“Actually, Sheriff, I think there might be something I could do for you.” 

The sigh threatened to come out again but he managed to respond politely. “Oh?” 

Argent wandered closer, still smiling, but Noah had not stayed the Sheriff of Beacon county for eight years on his good looks and charm. Being able to read between the lines was something he’d always been good at and the years of military then law enforcement had only sharpened the natural affinity. Argent clearly believed himself to be smarter and better than a small town Sheriff. The man’s gaze was dismissive even as he flashed a smile that would have been sure to charm many a man and woman. 

“I understand that your department has withdrawn the arrest warrant for Derek Hale. I --” 

“Let me just stop you right there. Look, Mr. Argent, I cannot comment on an open case or the particulars of said case. If you would like to make a formal inquiry you may go to the Sheriff Station and present it to a Deputy.” 

Argent’s smile turned slightly brittle and Noah could see the already tense shoulders somehow get even more tense. Good god, and Stiles was worried about his blood pressure? Deciding he was more than ready to be done with this conversation he gave the man a brisk nod and walked away. 

After he finished the shopping he texted Stiles to remind his son (again) that he was fully expecting Stiles to be at home and finishing cleaning up the mess the teen had made in the kitchen the previous night. Shaking his head at the myriad of emojis that was the response to this, Noah finished loading the groceries and put the cart away. He was turning back to his car when Argent crossed his path again. This time he put a more surprised look on and raised an eyebrow at the man. 

Argent gave him another smile. “I wanted to apologize for my earlier comment. I didn't mean to try and bother you while you were off duty. I would come by the station but I think the conversation we need to have would go better in a more...intimate setting.” 

Scrunching his face in an imitation of Stiles, Noah asked with an air of confusion, “I’m sorry, I thought you were married?” 

Argent startled slightly, “Yes, yes, I am but --” 

“Ah, then I must decline of course.” 

Unfortunately, this was not enough to get rid of the man. He sighed internally when he realized that the man had of course parked right next to him and maneuvered the cart to block him from getting to the driver’s side. 

“I must say I do enjoy going shopping, don’t you?” 

“I’m sorry..?” What the hell was the man on about now?

“Shopping. It can really show a man’s character, wouldn’t you agree?” 

He just stared at Argent now. This was worse than one of Stiles’ tangential moments. The man, seemingly oblivious, kept going. 

“Through the care shown or not in picking out fresh produce, or how one packs up their bags --” 

“I’m sorry, but does this have a point?” 

Argent gave him a mild smile as the bastard picked up the next bag and with agonizing care put it into the car. The man continued talking, ignoring Noah completely. His patience, which was normally vast, was starting to wear thin. 

“Providing for one’s family is what makes us human, after all, doesn’t it?” 

Ok, now he was intrigued by what the man was doing so he made a non-committal hum and leaned up against his car. 

“I understand you are a man that takes the care of your family very seriously. Especially when it comes to your son. I as a --” 

Noah’s metaphorical hackles were now on full alert. He nodded and kept his expression open, not letting the increasing irritation show on his face. 

“ -- family man myself understand the instinct to protect one's family above all else. One has to be careful though to know who the true threats are. I’m sure you have some experience with this as a law enforcement officer.” 

“Figuring out threats?” He asked as if in confusion. By god, would this man ever get to the point? 

“Yes.” Argent’s face was beginning to show some irritation and Noah silently congratulated himself. 

“Ah, yes I do. Though,” he gave a rueful chuckle, “I will admit that a little town like ours doesn’t produce that many threats. Almost all of the real trouble comes from outsiders, if you know what I mean. People who think that because we are so small that we’re easy pickings.” 

Argent gave him a wary look now. “People often underestimate the true danger that can come out of a small town.” 

Giving Argent a sharp smile he said, “Exactly.” Patting the man on the shoulder he casually maneuvered around him and went to get in his car. “Thank you for the chat, I feel much more enlightened about threats to my town now, Mr. Argent. I hope you have a good day.” 

Argent pulled back, still looking at him with a frown but nodded and back away. As Noah was leaving the parking lot he rolled his eyes. Everyone always saw a small town sheriff, thought of Andy Griffith, and forgot just how smart Andy had been.


	2. Waiting in the Dark - Peter Hale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I lied. I decided to switch and go ahead and do Peter first. I got a different idea for Derek based off how the edit of this one turned out. :)

All Noah wanted to do was get home, eat dinner and go to bed. He was exhausted after a long day of frustrating events. Stiles was acting even more squirrely the last few days. Noah rubbed his forehead tiredly, he knew he needed to corner his son to have a long chat about certain things but dead bodies just kept piling up. He’d had to spend almost every waking moment the last few days sorting out the mess that was the Argent Situation and he was exhausted. 

Coming in through the kitchen he flicked on the light only to groan with frustration. A fully healed, impeccably dressed, Peter Hale was sitting in his kitchen. The man had the familiar and irritating smug look on his face and was smirking like he had just pulled off some impressive feat by sitting in the dark at a kitchen table. Noah was not amused. 

“Now? You want to do this now?.” He said, pulling his gun off his belt and walking over to the safe to put it away. 

Peter startled slightly which wiped the smirk off for a moment. Good, Noah had no energy to play games with stupidly smug werewolves tonight. “I’m sorry?” The man said, obviously trying to recover himself. Noah just scowled. 

“I have some bones to pick with you Hale. First off, next time you murder someone make sure you don’t get caught by a goddamn security camera. Also, make claw marks look like claw marks and not potential knife wounds. I had to spend all day today pussy footing around Argent who was baying for blood at the murder of his sister.” 

Peter was still blinking at him, now what looked like in shock. “Sheriff, I believe we may have some confusion here. I have no idea what you mean about murder or --” 

Rolling his eyes, Noah stomped out of the study to throw down a picture in front of the man. “Are you seriously going to pretend this isn’t you?” 

The wolf’s eyes turned calculating. “I see we are on a different playing field than I thought. How long have you known?” 

“About werewolves or you?” 

The wolf leaned back and shrugged. “Both, I should think.” 

“The first part is none of your damn business. The Hales were obvious but you weren’t bothering anyone so it didn’t matter. You, killing people, I figured that out after Meyers.” 

“You didn’t do anything about it.” Peter cocked his head. Noah could see the gears turning in the alpha’s head and the smug look was starting to return. 

“Why are you here?” He asked, not answering the question as he walked over to the fridge and contemplated if tonight was a beer or scotch night. Beer would probably best, especially if after this conversation he was going to confront Stiles...confront -- “Shit. Please tell me you did not turn my son into a werewolf.” All the pieces came crashing into place and he was a complete idiot for not putting them together before. Stiles had been acting more off than usual ever since that night they found Laura Hale’s body in the woods. Dammit. He knew his son, he should have known that somehow the boy would get caught up in all this stuff. 

The alpha glowered a bit before looking away. “No. Stiles is still human.” 

Noah pulled out a beer and leaned against the counter. “You sound a little put out by that. Why? Did you ask and he said no?” At Peter’s disgruntled expression, Noah started chuckling. “That’s exactly what happened, hell, at least the kid has some sense.” 

Peter stood up now, advancing towards him. “What would be so bad about being a werewolf? He’d be faster, stronger, live longer...I fail to see what the disadvantage would be.” Noah could see the very edges of control fraying on Peter. The claws were just about to come out, red shimmered around the edges of the eyes and there was a small growl emanating out from the wolf. 

He rolled his eyes. “You need to work on your pack bonds, Hale. Also, as if my kid would have ever submitted to you. Most days I’m lucky when he listens to a fourth of what I tell him to do.” The wolf backed off a bit with a flinch and slight wounded noise. Noah sighed, “Shit, you don’t have a pack, do you?” 

Peter growled again but didn’t look back at him. Noah groaned, he just wanted a quiet night in but no, stupid universe had to give him a lost alpha wolf in his damn kitchen. Sighing deeply he pulled out another beer and walked towards the living room shoving the beer at Peter as he did so. The wolf looked startled but took it and followed him looking a bit like a lost puppy. Curse his weakness when it came to lost people. “Sit.” He said, pointing at the couch. He couldn’t help but smirk as Peter obeyed. He pulled out his phone then and pressed the call button, letting in ring until voicemail before he hung up and hit call again. Stiles picked up two rings into the third time he had hit call. 

“Dad?! Is everything ok? Shit! I promise I wasn’t ignoring you or doing anything I shouldn’t be doing. Promise, promise. Uh, um, I was just, you know, doing things, things with people and Scott, definitely doing things with Scott, no one else, no siree, nope, no things ---” 

“As amusing as it is to listen to you try to continue to convince me you aren’t currently hanging out with Derek Hale, I need you at the house asap. Bring Scott.” He hung up in the middle of a frantic protest mixed with interrogation. Peter was eying him. 

“That would never work.” The man finally said, shooting his a slight look of disdain.

“You obviously haven’t taken the time to actually get familiar with Stiles. Order him to do something with no context and you are right. It won’t work. But he hates a mystery. Me letting him know I know he’s been spending time with Derek will make him wonder what else I know so he’ll show up. Give it 15 or so minutes. Now, tell me a story while we wait. Start with Laura.” 

Peter crossed his arms. “I’d rather know how you know so much about us. It’s not like we wander around telling people who we are.” 

Noah leaned back into his chair and took a sip of his beer. “I know you’re just trying to distract me from digging into a painful wound. The Peter I knew would have never hurt his family while in his right mind. I know laying there with broken pack bonds would have driven the strongest wolf mad but I need to hear you say it. Peter…” 

Peter growled and flashed red eyes again. Noah gave him the look he reserved for when he was 100% done with dealing with shit. He figured that if the look worked on his deputies, drunks, and Stiles it had to work on alpha werewolves. He turned out to be correct as with only a little more posturing and rumbling, Peter finally started talking. 

“I...I didn’t know it was her. My nurse she --” the wolf growled again and popped his claws in and out before continuing. “She had this idea in her head that we would be mates. She took me out in the woods and I hunted the deer, I was so ecstatic to be able to move again, and the lack of pack bonds made me so weak...I didn’t think anything of bringing her the deer. I didn’t even notice she had drawn the spiral in them. Then one night it was different. She was a witch, minor, barely more than a hedgewitch, wanted to be stronger. She gave me something to drink and I don’t -- there was just a wolf there, a trespasser in my territory...I attacked and I didn’t...fuck…” 

The man bowed his head and the noise of pain would have broken the heart of much stronger men than he was. Moving before he even registered it, Noah sat down and pulled Peter into a tight embrace. He murmured soothing words and rubbed circles on the man’s back while he waited for the sobs to go down. Eventually, they evened out but Peter was still clinging to him so he stayed where he was. He was just about to try and move when the front sprang open with a bang as Stiles and Scott stormed in. Noah gave them a look laced with disapproval as the two teens took in the scene in front of them.

“Dad! Uh...what?” 

“Both of you, sit down. We need to have a talk. Also, Stiles, next time your best friend gets bitten by a werewolf I am your first call, got it?” 

Stiles shot wild eyed questioning looks towards the werewolf in question while Scott just stared at the two adults in complete bewilderment. Stiles eventually wilted under his look and slumped over to sit down with Scott trailing after him. Noah sighed deeply. 

“Ok, so we are all going to sit here and work out our differences. Got it? No, Scott, no arguing. I don’t care how upset you are. Yes, this has fucked up all our lives but Peter has been a victim too and it’s time for all of us to give each other some grace.” The two teenagers continued to start at him while Peter had managed to pull himself upright and smoothed out his features. Scott had a slightly belligerent look on but Stiles was now giving the alpha a concerned look. 

“All right. Stiles, let’s start with you. Why don’t you tell me the real story of what happened that night you and Scott went into the woods and then lied to me about it.” Stiles opened his mouth, shut it and opened it again with a wince. 

“Uh, ok, so….” 

Noah sat back to listen. He was pretty sure they had a lot to sort out between all of them. He’d been remiss at not paying enough attention to his boys the last couple months but that was all changing tonight. He would pull a functioning pack out of this mess if it was the last thing he ever did.


	3. At a Crime Scene - Derek Hale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is some fluff to kickstart your week. Also DadSheriff for the win. 
> 
> Alternatively titled: At Which Derek Fails at Intimidation on All Levels.

Seeing Derek Hale hovering on the edges of a crime scene that Noah knew with absolute certainty had nothing to do with anything supernatural was a little jarring. He’d gotten used to seeing the young man at the edges of his vision around town. Derek seemed to also disappear within five seconds of Noah’s appearance anywhere. For the poor boy’s sake he’d started to try and avoid the beta werewolf as well. No one should have to leave a half filled shopping cart in the middle of the tiny Beacon Hills grocery store. Doing stuff like that just got all the gossip chains going. 

Ignoring the young man at the moment proved impossible as one of his deputies had noticed and wandered over to start interrogating the boy. Noah had to fight and hide a bit of a grin at the furious look on Derek’s face at being once again not so subtly accused of a crime. Noah stood up and stretched out. He’d known he’d have to deal with this at some point, since Peter was doing his best Jason Bourne impression at the moment, he was just annoyed it had to be tonight. 

Ambling over, he dismissed the deputy with a nod and raised his eyebrows at Derek. The glower he got in response would have been impressive if Noah couldn’t see the tension around the man’s eyes or the slight tremors in his hands. This was a wolf on the edge and that worried him far more than the petulant glare he was getting. 

“Let’s take a walk Derek.” He said, starting to move away from the crime scene before Derek could have a chance to respond. 

“You don’t get to order me to do anything. Besides I have something to say to you.” The last words had a hint of a growl behind them. Noah stopped and looked back at the boy, feeling distinctly unimpressed. 

“You know, your uncle is a lot better at intimidation than you are.” 

Derek did growl then and shoved his way into Noah’s space, forcing the sheriff to back up. Noah let himself be maneuvered until they were out of sight of the deputies. Putting a flat hand on Derek’s chest he said in his best cop voice. “That’s enough.” 

The young wolf stopped moving, a look of confusion crossing his face. “What did you do?” 

Noah moved the hand up and clasped the back of Derek’s neck to give it a slight squeeze. The poor boy rumbled and almost fell forward into him. “It’s alright Derek. Nobody here is after you. When is the last time you ate?” 

Scowling, Derek managed to pull himself away. “None of your business. I came to warn you about Peter. You shouldn’t let Stiles and Scott be with him. He’s not safe.” 

“You need to eat and sleep Derek. Come on, my shift is almost over and my deputies can finish up here. Let’s go to Mama’s and get some food and you can tell me all about it.” 

For a brief moment he thought Derek wouldn’t follow but either the need for food or the urgency of his warning was more important than resisting taking orders from a human. His Deputy smirked at the sight of Derek trailing after him like a lost puppy. He subtly gave Luke the finger as he bullied Derek into the passenger seat of his cruiser. He sighed, he knew Luke was going to tell Shawna, who would interrogate the whole story out of him in the morning. 

Derek sat stiffly the whole ride to the diner and even inside couldn’t seem to relax fully. Noah just ignored the tension and set about ordering food for both of them as well as extra curly fries. He knew who else Luke would be texting, the traitor. He just hoped the CIA never got wind of how easily Stiles was able to make all his deputies into minion spies against him. Turning his attention back to Derek he gestured with his hand.

“Now, what did you have to say about Peter?” 

Derek glared back at him, defiant again. “He’s not safe. You know what he did.” 

“I do.” 

“Then why do you let Stiles and Scott be around him? It’s not safe, he could get hurt.” 

Noah’s lips twitched but he valiantly kept it together. “Peter could get hurt?” 

Derek sat back, looking confused. “What? No. Stiles...and Scott.” 

“Ah, yes, well I admit I share your concerns a bit but rest assured Peter is fully aware of what I’ll do to him if he messes up or hurts my boys. Is this also about Laura?” Noah intentionally softened his tone at the end. Derek flinched and hunched over a bit. 

“Not...exactly. He showed me what happened. I know it wasn’t his fault. I just...I can’t trust him. You shouldn’t either.” 

“I don’t trust him.” Noah stated calmly as he helped himself to the curly fries that had just been put down. “I trust that right now he needs a pack more than anything and that having a pack will help stabilize him.” 

Derek opened his mouth to respond only to pause and perk up. Noah hid his smirk in his coffee cup this time as Stiles flew up to their table. “Hey daddio, fancy meeting you here! Ooo curly fries. Hey sourwolf, what’s up in whoville.” 

Derek’s glare lacked the heat he’d been giving Noah earlier. “Don’t call me that and get your own fries.” 

“Sure thing, Balto.” Stiles flopped into the bench next to Derek and wriggled until the wolf was forced to move further down to make room. Giving Derek a pleased smile Stiles grabbed more of the curly fries only to squawk in outrage as Derek took the plate out of the teen’s range. 

“Stiles. I thought you were studying tonight.” 

Stiles shot him a slightly panicked look. “Oh yeah, totally done with all that. Yup. Totally done...no more studying for me tonight. Just needed food now so you know I came here where the food is.” 

Derek gave Stiles an exasperated look. “You’re an idiot.” 

Stiles jabbed a finger into the wolf’s chest. “Ha. No. You, mr. I live in the woods and eat innocent bunnies, don’t get to judge me and my habits of life.” 

The wolf’s scowl deepened. “I don’t eat bunnies, Stiles.” 

“Suuuureee you don’t. Hey, I don’t judge, live and let live. So dad, what’s up with the meet and greet?” Noah hadn’t been fooled by the innocent smile on Stiles’ face since his son had been one year old. 

“Derek was just telling me that he missed you coming around and visiting him.” He said blandly expecting his coffee cup. Stiles’ eyes widened like saucers and his mouth hung open as he spun to stare at Derek. The tips of Derek’s ears were bright red and he glared at the sheriff. “So, I thought I’d invite him to stay with us for a while. You don’t mind, do you?” 

Stiles choked slightly on air. “Um, what? Uh...no, nope, not at all...it’s good and fine.” 

“Good. Well, I should get going. Stiles, why don’t you drive Derek back to his car so he can get his things. Also, if I come home and Derek is in the same bed as you I will rescind all video game privileges for a month.” 

Stiles made a slightly strangled noise and about sunk under the table. His face was bright red. Derek was staring awkwardly at the table. Winking, Noah went out of the diner still chuckling. He was pretty sure the embarrassment would keep the two of them from doing anything while under his roof. In the meantime, he’d keep Derek fed and sleeping somewhere and hopefully the born wolf’s presence would help Peter recover even faster. 

When he got home later that night and found the two of them fast asleep on the couch with Stiles’ legs on Derek’s lap and the wolf’s hand clutching at them posessively. He smiled again, this time gentler. He knew both of them could use the added person in their life and he was pleased he’d been able to bring it about so effortlessly. These wolves weren’t so hard to handle after all.


	4. Going to the Vet - Alan Deaton

“Good afternoon, Sheriff.” Alan Deaton gave his usual serene smile as Noah Stilinski walked in holding the leash of the Sheriff’s department best scent hound. 

“Afternoon, Alan.” Noah responded with his own polite smile. 

“Ah, and what trouble has Tuck gotten himself into lately?” The vet offered a much more genuine smile to the tail wagging Belgian Malinois in front of him. 

Noah hummed slightly, remembering a time when Alan Deaton had been free with genuine smiles to everyone. “Oh the usual. We had a hiker from Sacramento get lost up in the park. Tuck found them but gashed his leg on a rock while doing so.” 

The vet nodded his head and opened the little gate and gestured back into the exam room. Noah followed the vet, pausing briefly as he felt the wash of the wards tingle against his skin, before urging a reluctant Tuck into the exam room. The feel of Alan’s magic never failed to bring back faded memories of different times. 

Tuck hopped up onto the exam table with only one baleful stare of betrayal at him. Grinning, Noah scratched the dog behind the ears as Alan carefully unwrapped the bandage on the dog’s right front leg. Tuck whined softly but stayed still. The scratch was a shallow one but Noah always preferred to be cautious when it came to these sorts of things. He didn’t want to lose one of his hounds because of inattention to a small wound. 

“I heard Derek Hale is living with you now.” The words were said mildly but they got his metaphorical hackles raised. Nothing to do with the Hales was ever mild with Alan. 

“He is.” Maybe if he didn’t indulge the vet with any details the topic would get dropped. 

“I was surprised by this news.” 

“Mmm.” 

The vet gave him a mild look with raised eyebrows. “Scott says that Peter Hale is also commonly at your house.” 

Noah resisted the urge to sigh and mentally added a conversation with Scott to his todo list for the day. “Well, he is trying to reconnect with his nephew.” 

Alan hummed as he pulled out a shot of anesthetic. “I was surprised to hear the report from Scott.” 

“Oh?” He knew he should indulge whatever this was but knowing where the druid stood with the Hales might be important for future events. 

“I thought with your history you wouldn’t want your son anywhere close to them.” 

Noah stiffened, irritation coursing through him. “My history?” He managed to say the words calmly but his own control was on edge. They were skirting by topics he had thought they had both agreed to never bring up again. 

Alan leveled him with a flat look. “Don’t be dense, Noah, it doesn’t suit you. I know you like to play the bumbling sheriff for the locals but that’s not a role that works on me.” 

Letting his face harden, he straightened to his full height, keeping his hands loose at his side. “Then stop playing the demure, detached veterinarian. I know you better than that as well. Knowledge goes both ways. We’ve both spent a lot of energy in forgetting events from years ago. If your goal is to dig up these things remember that you have as many skeletons as I do.” 

The vet placed the needle and string back on the table beside Tuck. The man’s face was flat and meant to be unreadable. It might have worked on most people, probably even werewolves considering the careful tattoos Noah knew were hidden on Alan’s skin. But Noah knew that the small clench of fingers on the exam table, the slight twitch of an eyebrow, signaled his former friend’s unease. 

“Why are you helping Peter Hale?” 

“Because it’s what I should have done six years ago.” 

“Why didn’t you?” Alan’s eyes moved up to meet his gaze. The words now had a hint of anger in them. 

“I was drowning in my own grief. I failed more than just the Hales at that time. I’m not proud of it and I’ll probably spend a long time making up for it. But, Alan, why didn’t you?” 

“My obligation to the Hales ended the moment Talia died. Laura left, breaking any possible opportunity of me continuing my service to the Hale line. Peter...Peter was not my obligation. He was not and is not yours either, you should have --” The vet broke off, staring at the wall behind Noah. 

Shifting his weight, he breathed out slowly. “Should have what? Should have let him die or killed him myself? You never liked Peter and he never liked you but even so, I never thought you would be this petty.” 

That got the reaction he was looking for. Alan looked back at his eyes blazing. Tuck curled his tail up and whined. Noah could feel the druid’s magic thrumming stronger around them. “Petty? Yes, petty is exactly what I would call it.” The words were low and furious. “Is it pettiness to hate the man who destroyed any chance at happiness I might have had in this world? Is it pettiness to hate the man who was responsible for…” 

Noah sighed, letting out his own anger. Grief poured off his one time friend now. “Talia’s death was not Peter’s fault. Nor was it Derek’s.” 

“You can’t possibly know or understand any of this! You have denied your heritage your whole life. You ignored your calling, choosing to live as nothing.” Like an injured animal the druid now lashed out at the one they perceived as their attacker. 

Shaking his head, Noah clucked to the scent hound. Tuck eagerly jumped off the exam table and moved towards the door. “And now you want to rewrite history. You know why I chose the path that I did. My spark was never strong enough to be more than capable of simple things. I didn’t desire to be a druid or hedgewitch. I use it where I can. You were the one to scorn it as not useful and brought Talia along to your way of thinking. I regret a lot of things in my life but I don’t believe that helping Peter Hale rebuild the Hale pack will be one of them.” 

“He will betray you. Betray your son.” 

“Well, that’s my problem now, isn’t it?” Noah moved to leave the way he had come only to be stopped by a pulse of magic. Feeling the pins and needles moving up his legs he gave Tuck a quick hand gesture. In a blur of movement the dog whirled around and had his jaw clamped around Alan’s outstretched arm. The druid let out a pained cry and the numbness abruptly stopped. Before the man could recover Noah had moved up to him and quickly tore away the charms he was holding and slammed the man into the exam table. 

“Now, I want you to listen to me very closely. You are correct, my magic is weak and small but my allies are not. You will either accept Peter Hale as the alpha here or you will leave. Try any of this shit with me again and I’ll run you out myself. Don’t push me here.” 

Letting the druid up, he waited to get a nod of acknowledgement before turning to leave again. Alan was cradling his arm and glaring viciously after him. “Someday you’ll regret this choice, Noah.” 

He didn’t respond as he left the building. Driving up to Dr. Granger’s large animal vet practice took a little longer but it gave him a chance to cool off. Back to his normal equilibrium, he got Tuck fixed up and then headed over to the McCall house. Scott met him at the door, eyes bright yellow with rage. He held up a hand to stop whatever words were about to come out of the boy’s mouth. 

“Before you say anything I have a story to tell you. It’s a story about two boys who had magic and the werewolf pack that lived close by…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this went somewhere very different than I was expecting. I might need to write a story of all the boys in their youth now.


	5. Parent Teacher Night - Gerard Argent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for implied torture and brief torture shown. Also warning for canon level violence.

Noah’s anger didn’t burn hot like others he had known. His anger had always been a coldness that would seep into his very bones and then burned like frostbite. It was a slower anger, it took time and a lot of things for that coldness to work its way in through his entire body. 

Staring at the picture of his son hanging limp and handcuffed to a wall was perhaps the first time in his life when the anger instantly flooded his system. Ice seemed to burn down his spine and it was with a deep, cold calm, he looked back up into the smirking face of Gerard Argent. 

“Not what I would assume is the usual first topic of a conversation between a principal and the father of one of his students.” Noah said as he almost idly flicked at a digital recorder he had hidden on his belt. He’d never been so happy in his life that he had come straight to one of these things still dressed in his uniform. 

The old man actually had the gall to laugh. “I see where your son gets his quick wit from, Sheriff. Now, let’s not waste our time on pleasantries, shall we? You are going to call Peter Hale on speaker right now. You are going to tell him to meet you at the address I shall provide. Only when I have what I want from him will your son be released. Understood?” 

He met the reptilian gaze squarely and let nothing of his thoughts leak out. “I want proof that my son is alive.” 

The smile seemed to stretch wider on the old man’s face. “Of course.” Gerard typed something into his phone and within a minute held it out again, this time showing a livestream of some sort. Noah let his fist clench tight at the sight of a woman coming into view holding a long rod of some sort. It was soon obvious what it was as Stiles’ body jerked and his son’s eyes flew open at the electric shock. 

“Satisfied, Sheriff?” 

Noah released the curled up fist. “So, this is a family business then? I wouldn’t have thought a mother could hurt another child but I guess this is the night for surprises.” 

Gerard chuckled again. “Ah, yes, Victoria really was the perfect addition to our family. She, like my daughter did, knows how to get things done. No weakness there.” 

“My son is innocent.” Noah stated firmly. He knew he could only stall for so long but he needed this to be recorded. Not a single one of these bastards were going to get away with this. His patience was at an end. 

“Your son had sided with monsters and deserves much worse. It is only his humanity that will save him today. Well, that and your cooperation Sheriff.” 

Noah made himself slowly pull out his phone and pressed the call button on Peter’s number. He was grateful that the alpha picked up almost immediately as standing there next to the monster that was torturing his son was fraying the edges of his control. 

“Is this urgent?” Peter’s clipped tone sounded stressed. 

“Stiles is missing.” 

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. “I know.” Peter’s voice was hesitant now. 

“I need you to meet me somewhere.” There was a slight rustle as Gerard held out a piece of paper with an address on it. Noah heard a rush of breath on the other end of the phone. 

“I can.” Peter sounded cautious now, the words came slower. Noah rattled off the address, keeping his eyes on the old man in front of him. Gerard’s eyes were still sharp and he didn’t want to let anything obvious through his facial expressions. There was a long silence before Peter gave an affirmative and ended the call. 

A hand gripped his and looped a handcuff around it then through a metal bar on the wall before cuffing in his other hand. “There. I’ll just take the rest of your gear now and be on my way.” Gerard took off his belt and smirking, took it with him out of the room. Once the man was truly gone, Noah took a moment to lean against the wall and breathe through his rage. He made himself wait for 15 agonizing minutes before he twisted his wrist, dislocating his left hand thumb with ease before sliding out of the cuff. He popped the thumb back into place with a wince. He was getting way too old for this shit. 

He had already clocked the cameras in the office and just had to roll his eyes at the arrogance of this man. Walking over to the desk he picked up the phone and dialled Tara’s number and forced himself not to fidget while he waited for her to pick up. She answered on the third ring and he was reminded once again why he loved his deputies when she was quick to grasp the situation. She had someone dispatched to the school and to judge Harlow’s house in minutes. Luke showed up mere minutes after that and provided a cell phone that he used to call Peter again. 

He had to call three times before the alpha picked up and answered with a growl. “Who is this?” 

“It’s a trap.” Noah said, a distant part of his brain was sad that Stiles had to miss his rather brilliant star wars quote. 

“No shit. Are you ok?” Peter’s voice turned concerned on a dime. 

“I’m fine, just a sore thumb. Gerard wants you for some reason. I have my deputies tracking down the other Argent’s and I’m about to head out to meet you. Don’t go into the building without me.” 

“No. Stay where you are. I’ll handle this.” 

Before Noah could take in a breath to respond the line went dead. Glaring at the cell phone he resolved to have a long talk later about not hanging up on one’s emissary when said emissary’s son was in danger. If he had been in a more charitable mood he would have admitted that technically Peter didn’t know he was the alpha’s emissary but his charity had long since expired. 

He strode out of the office, knowing that Luke would follow him and headed straight for the SUV cruiser that Luke had driven there. Tara texted that she was en route which relaxed another knot in his chest. He called Derek next but it rang out twice before he gave up. He just hoped that the beta wolf was with his uncle and that they were both being careful. 

They stopped a few blocks away from the abandoned lumber mill that Gerard had directed Peter to. Tara and another Deputy, Cass, were already there and gearing up. Once he and Luke were geared up, he had Luke take the lead. The deputy had been a navy seal before settling in Beacon Hills and even Noah’s military experience doesn’t compare when storming a compound. Once again he thanks whatever gods there are that brought Luke Parker to Beacon Hills. 

The plan was counting on two things. One was that Argent and his men aren’t familiar enough with Beacon Hills or the lumber mill to know all the ways in and out. Two was that Argent would have brought Stiles to the confrontation. If the only goal was to get the Sheriff to do something by taking Stiles captive there would have been more to the plan than just getting at Peter. Tara had sent two deputies to arrest Victoria and Chris Argent while another two were getting a warrant to take all the camera footage from the school. Noah was pretty sure he’d find more than enough incriminating evidence to put them away for a long time from that alone. 

Entering the mill through a side entrance they carefully made their way towards the large area where the logs had been processed. Luke went up to come at the group from the catwalks while the other three snuck carefully in on the ground level. He let out a breath of relief at the sight of Stiles being held up by Gerard. He flicked his gaze upward to note two men with rifles pointing down at where Peter Hale was walking in. 

Victoria and Allison Argent were standing next to Gerard as well. Victoria looked calm but Allison was sending increasingly agitated looks towards her grandfather. The young girl was holding a bow but loosely. Noah cursed inwardly, he was going to ruin these people. How dare they work to manipulate and brainwash their own child into a situation like this? He had met Allison a few times and there was no doubt in his mind that she hadn’t known all the facts before showing up here. 

Peter’s face was murderous. Red eyes glowing bright and chest heaving. Noah could tell the alpha was fighting off the urge to shift. The only thing stopped the wolf was the blade Gerard was holding to Stiles’ neck. Noah looked up again. The two hunters had their attention fixed on what was going on below them, paying no heed to the catwalks. Luke was edging into view. 

“The mighty alpha comes to call.” Gerard’s voice rang out through the large space. 

“What do you want?” Peter asked, claws slipping in and out. 

The old man smirked at the wolf. “Right down to business. I can appreciate that. It’s quite simple really, you are going to walk up to me, slowly. One wrong move or attack and I slice this boy’s throat.” 

Peter growled. “You kill him and I will kill everyone in this room before your men can even get off their shots.” 

“He’ll still be dead.” Gerard slowly slid the knife down Stiles’ throat to leave a trickle of blood in its wake. Peter’s growl grew louder. “Be a good dog, Hale, and walk towards me.” 

Noah used the large equipment to mask his movement forward. “Peter.” He said, keeping his voice barely at a whisper. The alpha twitched ever so slightly. “Take a step to the right. I need a clear shot.” 

For a moment he thought Peter might ignore him but at the next step forward, Peter slid sideways. Breathing a sigh of relief, he steadied the M16 against one of the machines and lined up the shot. Letting out a slow breath he brought up his hand to signal Tara and Cass to move forward. Tara tapped him on the shoulder as she passed. And all the neighboring county sheriffs thought he was a fool for running his team through exercises like this situation. He had never let the fact that they were tiny stop them from being prepared for the worst. 

Peter was ten feet away from Gerard when Tara made her presence known. “Police, put your hands in the air.” Her voice boomed out, startling everyone who was not a werewolf. Victoria swore and drew her gun up. Allison gasped and the bow dropped from her fingers as she took a step backwards. Gerard swung around to face the new threat while trying to keep an eye on the alpha werewolf. As the old man turned the knife pulled away from Stiles’ throat just a tiny amount. It was enough. The crack of the M16 echoed through the large space. 

The alpha had moved as Noah squeezed the trigger and as soon as Gerard fell, Peter had Stiles pulled away. The men on the catwalk shouted in surprise but two shots rang out one after the other and Noah saw both men fall to the ground as he moved towards Victoria. The woman had gone pale and dropped her gun to raise her hands in the air. 

Noah let Tara deal with the woman and her daughter while he focused on his son. Peter was curled protectively around his son, still shielding the teen from the Argents. Stalking up to the alpha, Noah glared at the man. The glare softened a bit when Peter met his gaze. He could see the remnants of fear still haunting the other man so with a sigh he reached over to grip the back of Peter’s neck. 

“You will never hang up on me when my son is in danger like that again. Understood?” 

“Dad!” Stiles wriggled somewhat free of Peter to wrap around Noah. The alpha still had a hand clutching at Stiles’ side that Noah was pretty sure wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. He sighed again as he held fiercely onto his son. For a brief moment he just let himself bask that Stiles was safe before looking back at Peter. The alpha still looked shaken and made a low whining noise. 

“I...I understand. Noah I --” 

“Hey, it’s ok.” Noah pulled in the now shaking wolf into the embrace and tactfully didn’t say anything when Peter buried his face into Noah’s neck for a minute to take a deep breath before stepping away. “Ok, I need to go check in with the deputies. Stiles, stay with Peter, ok? Peter, please take Stiles outside and wait there. I assume Derek is somewhere nearby?” 

Looking relieved, Peter reeled Stiles back into his arms and nodded. “Yes, he’s just outside the room. He was waiting on my signal.” 

“Good, he can wait with you too. Did you hear any other hunters?” At the head shake he gestured them out and turned back to the remaining Argents. Cass was leading Allison away. The teen was shaking and crying. Noah just hoped that Chris hadn’t been involved in this mess so the girl might have one sane family member to rely on. Shaking his head he continued to where Tara was cuffing and searching Victoria. 

The woman’s eyes were poisonous. “You traitor. Siding with animals over your own kind.” 

“I wasn’t the one using a cattle prod on a sixteen year old. You are going to jail for the rest of your life, Mrs. Argent. I hope you think it was worth it.” 

He tuned out the rest of her rant and focused on getting updates from the rest of his department. Cleanup on this one was going to be a horrendous mess. His only saving grace was that he wasn’t going to have to explain away any claw marks. He forced himself to stay at the station for another couple hours until State patrol got there. He did the initial meet and great but left the rest to Tara and headed home. 

Peter, Derek and Stiles were all piled on one another on the couch when he got in. Smiling, he let himself finally relax and be pulled into the hug pile. He had thought he was too old to become part of a pack or an emissary. But meeting Peter's grateful gaze he felt something settle deep with him. This was right where he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to be doing. Wedged between Peter and Stiles he sank down in the couch. This pack needed a lot of work but he was pretty sure he was up to the challenge.


End file.
